Machine for grinding edges of lenses.



No. 656,685. Patented Aug. 28, I900.

L. WILHELM.

MACHINE FUR GRINDING EDGES [IF LENSES.

(Applicatioxi filed Apr. 17, 1900.

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

WU csscs I {Z 13 Q Jlllorgcys,

No. 656,685. Patented Aug. 28, I900.

' L. WILHELM.

MACHINE FUR GRINDING EDGES OF LENSES.

v (Applicaticmfiled Apr. 1'!I X900.) (No Model) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

m: norms mrrzns co. PHOTO-LUNG, msmnmon, u. c.

Urrniu 'rarns LATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS WILHELM, OF SOUTHBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR GRINDING EDGES OF LENSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 656,685, dated August28, 1900. Applioationiiled 1 314117, 1900. Serialll'o. 13,264.. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS WILHELM, a subject of the German Emperor,residing at Southbridge, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Machine for Grinding theEdges of Lenses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improved machine for grinding the edges of lenses ofspectacles; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combinationof devices hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of alens-grinding machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig.2 is a vertical transverse sectional View of the same. Fig. 3 is adetail elevation, partly in section. Fig. 4 is a detail View, partly insection, of the telescoping counter-shaft. Fig. 5 is a detailperspective View of the gage. 7

On a bed A are secured a pair of plates 1 2, the plate 1' being providedwith transverselydisposed slots 3, in which operate bolts 4, havingthumb-nuts 5, said plate 1 being thereby laterally adjustable and saidbolts and thumb-nuts serving to secure the same on the bed at anydesired adjustment; The opposing sides of the plates 1 2 are beveled,and between the same is fitted a sliding baseplate 6, the said plates 12 forming supports and guides for said sliding base-plate 6.

A gear-wheel 7 is mounted on a spindle 8, which projectsvertically fromthe upper side of the bed A and is engaged by a pinion 9 on a verticalshaft 10, which is carried in bearings formed in said bed A and in abracket 11, which is'bolted on said bed. To the upper end of the saidshaft is keyed or otherwise secured a sheave or pulley 12, which isrotated by an endless belt (not shown) from a suitable source of power,and hence the wheel 7is rotated through the pinion 9. Said wheel 7 isprovided with a series'of openings 13, which are disposed at variousdistances from the center thereof, and a pitman 1%, which has its innerend pivotally connected to the sliding base-plate 6, as at 15, has itsouter end secured to either of said openings 13 by a thumb-screw 16. Itwill be under stood that said wheel 7 and said pitman serve to impartreciprocatory motion to the plate 6 and that the stroke of the lattermay be lengthened or shortened by securing the thumb-screw 15 in anappropriate adjustingopening 13.

The plate 6 is provided on its upper side with a pair of cars orstandards 17, which are provided with bearings for a shaft 18. Saidshaft carries a pair of pulleys 19 20, and on the said shaft is pivoteda swinging head 21,which comprises the arms 22 23, the connectingcross-piece 24, and an arm 25, which projects from the outer side ofsaid cross-piece at a suitable distance from the arm 22. In the outerend of the arm 22 is journaled a shaft 26, and ball-bearin gs arepreferably provided for said shaft, as at 27. Said shaft has a pulley 28.secured thereto near its outer end, and a cam 29 is secured to theouter end of said shaft, said cam being elliptical in form andconforming to the shape of the lenses which the machine is to beemployed in grinding. It will be understood that said cam 29 may be ofother than elliptical form, this being determined by the shape of thework. To the inner end of the shaft 26 is secured a friction-cushion 30,which is preferably made of cork, india-rubber, or felt, but which maybe of any suitable elastic material, and the face of which is convex andadapted to lit the concave sides of a lens, the latter being indicatedin the drawings by the letter Ct. The pulley 28 is connected to thepulley 19 by an endless cord 31, and the tension of said cord on saidpulleys is maintained by a rollersheave 32, which is carried on aspring-rod 33, the latter being secured to the arm 22, as shown. I

A shaft 34, which alines with the shaft 26,

is journaled in ball-bearings 35, with which the out-er end of the arm25 is provided. Said shaft has at its inner end a friction disk or head36, which is adapted to engage one side of the lens, and at the outerend of said shaft is a pulley 37. Said pulley is connected to the pulley20 by an endless cord 38, the tension of which is at all timesmaintained on said pulleys by a sheave-roller 39, which is carried by aspring-rod 40, the latter being secured to the arm 25 or any otherappropriate part of the head 21. The friction-head 36 is also preferablymade of cork, india-rubher, or felt, but may be made of any othersuitable elastic material, as leather or the like, and said head 36 isadapted to be clamped against one side of the lens, so that the latterwill be firmly secured between the friction-heads 3O 36 by a screw-shaft41, which is disposed in line with the center of the shaft 34,0peratesin a threaded opening in the outer end of the arm 23 of the swinginghead 21, and

is provided at its outer end with a suitable crank or other means 42,whereby it may be turned. The inner end of said screw-shaft, as shown inFig. 3, is stepped in the outer end of the shaft 34.

The bed A is provided with a pair of standards B, in which is journaleda hollow shaft 43. The outer end of the shaft 18 extends into saidhollow shaft 43, and the latter is provided with an elongated slot 44,in which operates a stud 45, that projects from the shaft 18. By thisarrangement the shaft 18 telescopes in the hollow shaft 43 and isrotated by the latter, said shaft 43 being provided with a pulley 46,driven by an endless cord or belt (not shown) from asuitable source ofpower, and this telescoping connection per mits of the reciprocatingmotion of the plate 6 and the swinging head carried thereby, as will beunderstood.

In operation my improved lens-grinding machine is arranged opposite thegrinding face or periphery of a grindstone, the latter being indicatedby the curved dotted line lettered O in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and itwill be understood that rotatory motion being communicated to the lensCt through the connections hereinbefore described and said lens bearingagainst the grindstone and the latter being also rotated the edges ofthe lens will be ground.

Inasmuch as the head 21, which carries the lens and its rotating headsand connections, is carried by the reciprocating plate 6, the lens ismoved transversely across the face of the grindstone, and hence wearsthe latter evenly from side to side and avoids the formation of channelsin the face of the grindstone. A spring 47, which is attached to theplate 1, but which may be attached to the plate 6, if preferred, bearsagainst the outer side of the cross-bar 24, forming a part of theswinging head, and hence maintains the latter normally in the positionindicated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, with the edge of the lens inengagement with the periphery of the grindstone.

By connecting the shafts which carry the lens and rotating the same withthe countershaft by means of endless cords and pulleys, as hereinbeforedescribed, the cords and pulleys cause the lens to be rotated withoutjar or vibration, with the result that the edges thereof are much morefinely ground and finished than is possible in machines in which trainsof gear-wheels are employed.

On one end of the plate 6 is secured an adjustable gage comprising abase 48, a vertical standard 49, and a series of sizer-plates 50, whichare pivotally attached to the standard 49, as at 51. The thickness-ofeach sizerplate corresponds to the difference between two sizes oflenses. The base 48 of the gage has a slot 52. The adjusting-screw 53,which secures the gage on the end of the plate 6, works in the said slotand serves to effect the initial adjustment of the gage and of thelens-grinding machine, the sizer-plates being all turned on the standard49 and the cam 29 being in engagement with the outermost sizer-platewhen the machine is adjusted for grinding lenses of the smallest size.In order to adapt the machine to grind lenses of a larger size, this maybe effected without alterin g the adjustment of the gage on the plate 6by merely turning one or more of the sizerplates to one side, andthereby causing the cam 29 to bear against a Sizer-plate which isappropriate to the size of the lenses to be ground.

Having thus described my invention, I claim-- 1. In a machine forgrinding lenses, the combination with a work-head having a bearing-cam,of a gage having a series of Sizerplates imposed upon each other andagainst which said cam is adapted to bear, substan--- tially asdescribed.

2. In a machine for grinding lenses, the combination with a work-headhaving a bear ing-cam, of an adjustable gage having a series ofSizer-plates imposed upon each other against which said cam is adaptedto bear, sub stantially as described.

3. In a machine for grinding the edges of lenses and the like, thecombination of a sliding base, guideways therefor, and means to impartreciprocating motion thereto, a powershaft in bearings on thebase-plate,said powershaft having pulleys, a gage secured to thebase-plate and having a standard, a swinging head pivoted on saidpower-shaft, shafts having their bearings in said swinging head, andprovided with heads to clutch and rotate a lens, said shafts havingpulleys, and one of said shafts having a cam adapted to eoact with thestandard, and endless cords connecting the pulleys on the respectiveshafts, substantially as described.

4. In a machine for grinding the edges of lenses and the like, thecombination of a sliding base, guideways therefor, a revoluble element,a pitman attached to said base-plate and adjustably connected to saidrevoluble element, a power-shaft in bearings on the base-plate, saidpower-shaft having pulleys, a gage secured to the base-plate and havinga standard, a swinging head pivoted on said power-shaft, shafts havingtheir hearings in said swinging head and provided with heads to clutchand rotate a lens, said shafts having pulleys, and one of said shaftshaving a cam adapted to coact with the standard, and endless cordsconnecting the pulleys on the respective shafts, substantially asdescribed.

one of said shafts having a cam adapted to coact With the Sizer-plateson the standard,

and endless cords connecting the pulleys on the respective shafts,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS WILHELM.

Witnessesr.

GEORGE S. Porrnn, CLARE S. HALL.

